Xi Stresses Quality Poverty Alleviation
　　April 15， Chongqing： Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with villagers to learn about the progress of poverty alleviation in solving problems such as meeting the basic need of food and clothing and guaranteeing compulsory education， basic medical care and safe housing in Huaxi Village of Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County.
　　President Xi emphasized the significance of quality in the fight against poverty at a symposium on April 16 during his inspection tour. He called for the establishment of a long-term mechanism for poverty relief， reinforcement of developing local industries as a means to alleviate poverty， improvement of training for the poor and facilitation of employment.


　　PLA Navy 70th Anniversary
　　April 23， Qingdao， Shandong Province： A new nuclear submarine of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army （PLA） Navy debuts during a grand naval parade.
　　The parade is part of the multinational naval events marking the 70th anniversary of the PLA Navy， which was founded on April 23， 1949.
　　China’s first aircraft carrier， the Liaoning， and latest nuclear submarines， destroyers and fighter jets were among the 32 Chinese vessels and 39 warplanes displayed in the parade.
　　Also joining the parade were nearly 20 foreign vessels from over 10 countries including Russia， Thailand， Vietnam and India， demonstrating to the world firm determination to safeguard peace and seek development with joint efforts.


　　First Black Hole Image
　　April 10， Shanghai： The first-ever image of a supermassive black hole at the heart of the distant galaxy M87 is released during a press conference held by Shanghai Astronomical Observatory.
　　The image of the black hole， based on observations made through the Event Horizon Telescope（EHT）， a planet-scale array of eight ground-based radio telescopes aligned through international collaboration， was unveiled in coordinated press conferences across the globe at 9 p.m. （Beijing time） that day. The landmark result offered scientists a new way to study the most extreme events in the universe predicted by Albert Einstein’s general relativity.


　　Notre Dame Fire Scorches Chinese Hearts
　　April 15， Paris， France： The spire of Notre Dame Cathedral collapses after the building was engulfed in flames. The world shared grief after the 850-year-old cathedral was devastated by a ferocious blaze. The accident caused great concern across China and called for more attention on the protection of classical structures. 　　Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a condolence message to his French counterpart， Emmanuel Macron， after the fire. Xi called Notre Dame a significant symbol of French civilization and a great treasure of human civilization. Like the French people， the Chinese people were also deeply saddened by the devastating fire， he said. China firmly believes that restoration will be carried out smoothly and that Notre Dame will regain her splendor thanks to the efforts of the French people and with support from the international community， Xi added.


　　700 Chinese Sturgeons Released
　　April 13， Yichang， Hubei Province： Chinese sturgeons are about to be released into the Yangtze River. A total of 700 Chinese sturgeons， nicknamed “aquatic pandas，” were released by the Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute （CSRI） of the China Three Gorges Corporation that day to save the species from extinction.
　　The sturgeons released into the river will help boost the endangered species’ survival rate in the wild and enhance their genetic diversity， said Li Zhiyuan， deputy director of the CSRI.
　　Since 1984， Chinese experts have carried out reintroduction programs to increase the population of sturgeons， a rare fish that dates back to the time of dinosaurs.